For all of your training and competing in triathlons and marathons, this will be something you will want to tune in for. 

In the industrial age, which spans our entire lives, companies have dumped their harmful by-products and waste into the most convenient places available to them – the air, rivers, lakes, and other areas where the unwanted materials would seem to “wash away.”

Many of these harmful toxins found in our environment have profoundly bad effects on your body and your health. Not surprisingly, some of these pollutants have a direct effect on your athletic performance, inhibiting your body’s ability to function and perform at a higher level. 

It is critical to think about your increased potential exposure to toxins and how you can combat some of these performance-sapping problems.

Toxins’ and their Effects 

The toxic effects of lead, arsenic, cadmium, BPA, PFOA (also called C8), and other toxins found in the environment, can and doaffect athletic performance.Lead can impair normal cell function and lead to digestive problems, muscle and joint pain, nerve disorders, and high blood pressure. 

You may not know thatheavy metal toxins block enzymes needed for the body to make energy and protein. If your body cannot produce the protein and energy it needs, you will not perform at the optimal levels when training for a race or athletic event. Instead, you may experience fatigue, lack of energy, inability to recover, and injury as a result.

Eliminating Toxins from the Body

While most athletes and nutritionists pay close attention to what they voluntarily put into their bodies, it can be difficult to always be aware of what the body is involuntarily taking in through exposure to air, water, produce, and meat.

It wasn’t until the late 1970s that the EPA began toregulate hazardous waste disposal. Many could argue that even modern sanitation and waste-disposal regulations are nowhere near strict enough, and not adequately enforced, which causes a global crisis affecting the air we breathe and the soil in which we grow our food.

These toxic influences in the environment must be constantly removed from the body so that heavy metals and chemicals do not build up and concentrate in our body’s tissues.

Wondering where to start? Start by aiding your body nutritionally, with diets that support detoxification. Using vitamins and nutrients to support the liver and encourage toxins out of the body is essential for both short-term performance and long-term health. 

Including foods and vitamins that promote liver function, including vegetables (goal would be to consume at least 30% raw), healthy sources of protein at every meal (including eggs, lean meat, etc.), and a multivitamin including key supports like Vitamin A, C, E, selenium, zinc and more.